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Message 1
From: Lynn Starun
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:07:30 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 29384] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005)
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Hi Group,
I've made brushes out of larger shoe brushes by
cutting them in half and burning on a cast iron
tortilla pan and then rubbing against sandpaper (the
cheese grater seems to want to pull out hairs.) I
bought the best quality the shoe repair shop had and
it came out pretty good according to my Japanese
teacher. Then I found a shoe brush at an estate sale
which was so dense and softer. I've been searching
estate sales ever since trying to find more older,
better ones!

At the same estate sale where I got the brush, I
found, in amongst some junk, two boxes that caught my
eye as the paper covering them looked Japanese. At
first I thought it was just regular stationery for 50
cents a box but when I got home I realized that each
image was an actual woodblock print that was attached
to the writing card. They are lovely--one box of
various birds and one of various flowers. The writing
on the boxes is art deco style and it says Wood Cut
Prints and some Japanese writing and then Greeting
Card and under that Unsodo. I found Unsodo on the
internet and it seems to be a place that printed work
by many artists and they have a lot of old woodblocks
in storage there.

Marissa, if you coat the wood with shellac does that
affect how it accepts the ink? Do you/could you
remove it?

Lynn

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Message 2
From: Marissa
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 18:14:04 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29385] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005)
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Thanks for the tips on the brushes. When I have the time and money to
experiment I may just try Moku Hanga again.

I don't know how the shellac would effect the tones with Moku Hanga
but if anything it makes the board more even for ink when I use oil
based and a brayer. I coat it again after I am done carving it. The
shellac can't be removed.

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Message 3
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:39:56 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29386] Re: A Newbie's Lament
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Carol wrote:
>Hi, this is just my experience with Shina wood. I have been taught
>by THE best in Baren and no matter how I try I can't keep wood from
>chipping off narrow lines.( Could be me!)

Hey, Carol -- suggestions (not that you asked for nor need any, but
here goes)"

1) shina generally carves like butter and thinner-than-hair lines are
no big trick to accomplish -- REALLY!
2) your tools MUST be kept razor sharp (we've talked about sharpening
on Baren a lot before) and
3) best results for thin lines (I feel) are obtained by first making
SHALLOW outlines with a 6mm or less toh (skew knife) with blade
sloping away from cut -- turn the knife to turn the cut -- don't pull
to the side -- let the cut freely follow the blade -- then clear
after... You can also relieve outside the line to be carved and then
shave down to the line if tools are sharp and chipping remains a
problem... The deeper you cut, the farther the wood has to move out
of the way of the blade and the more likely it is for
chipping/tearing to occur.

Shina is soft enough that it may not survive 200 clear impressions,
but it's strong enough to remain intact through carving! :)

Best,

Mike


Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com

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Message 4
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:47:02 -0600
Subject: [Baren 29387] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005)
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Lynn wrote:
>Marissa, if you coat the wood with shellac, does that affect how it
>accepts the ink?

Definitely DOES affect how the block prints (moku-hanga)... Shellac,
varnish, etc. reduce the absorbancy of the wood so it prints much
lighter than un finished areas -- you can use this to advantage in
printing moku-hanga -- tone change without carving! Helen
Frankenthaler's moku-hanga used this technique to great effect! You
can (partially) wash the shellac out with alcohol if you wish.

-- Mike


Mike Lyon
Kansas City, Missouri
http://mlyon.com

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Message 5
From: Marissa
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 19:05:39 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29388] Re: Baren Digest (old) V33 #3278
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Mike,

Now you have me wanting to give Moku Hanga a serious go. But since I
*just* bought a printing press (that I can't get my cat to stop
sleeping on) I really can't be investing money in supplies for awhile.
I have my eye on the nice carving tools at the Baren Mall but even
they are off limits because my tools seem to work fine they just
aren't quite so pretty. If I ever see a Moku Hanga workshop I will
take it!

There are so many things just in printmaking that I want to do but I
also feel like I am running out of time at 27! I have to keep
reminding myself that I am still young even if I don't feel it
mentally and that I am quite new at all this and am actually making
good progress. But sometimes I just wish I could know how it all
turns out.

Time to stop slacking and get back to work. I have a bunch of
projects that I need to get done before the end of the month.

Nice talking and you are a wealth of information.

~marissa

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Message 6
From: Marissa
Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 19:07:49 -0500
Subject: [Baren 29389] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V33 #3278 (Dec 2, 2005)
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I figured that shellac would affect waterbased prints differently than
oil, if anything with oil it makes the printing better! It also makes
the boards very durable, my teacher uses her blocks over and over for
years. The blocks themselves are really quite beautiful.

~m

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